Venetian blind head enclosure



Maw

Jan. 26, 1954 WRIGHT 2,667,219

VENETIAN BLIND HEAD ENCLOSURE Filed Aug. 3, 1951 M M-a Patented Jan. 26, 1954 VENETIAN BLIND HEAD ENCLOSURE Richard H. Wright, Bratenahl, Ohio, assignor to The Guarantee Specialty Manufacturing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation Application August 3, 1951, Serial No. 240,150

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to Venetian blinds, and in particular to certain components thereof which are known as head enclosures.

Heretofore head enclosures for Venetian blinds have been made of metal and like substances, although not necessarily so, since the same may be made of wood also, the same being usually of substantially U-shaped configurations in cross section, and adapted to support therewithin the instrumentalities for operating the various parts of the blinds, and supporting the tapes and slats comprising the same in a window or like opening.

As is usually the case, such head enclosures or head bar units as above described, are of open construction and as such permit the accumulation of large quantities of dirt and dust, which eventually afiect the operation of the parts enclosed within the head bar. Furthermore parts within the head bar are not generally accessible except by removing the blind as a whole from the window or other location, and therefore are not generally cleaned periodically as are other parts of the blind which are exposed.

Insofar as I am aware, it has not been heretofore proposed to provide a metal head bar unit of the class to which this invention is directed, which is fully enclosed, so as to exclude a substantial proportion of the dirt and dust ordinarily accumulated therein in other types of head enclosures.

It is therefore an object of this invention, to provide a head enclosure for Venetian blinds, which is fully enclosed and thereby exclude foreign matter from entrance thereinto.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a simple construction of head enclosure, wherein the same may be readily accessible for replacement or repair of parts within the enclosure, and yet maintain the same in relatively dust-free condition.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a head enclosure which avails of commonly used parts to effect the complete enclosure, one of the parts used, comprising a metal slat, for example, such as is used in the blind itself. The type of slat used may similarly be a substantially concave type of slat or one which is rolled or otherwise formed so as to be concave in cross section.

A still further object of this invention is to so form the metal head enclosure body'portion of the invention, so as to provide suitable grooves or other means for maintaining and supporting a cover such as the metal slat abovereferred to therein. Such provision will enable the ready removal of and emplacement in the position for completing the enclosure either by suitable compression at the edges of the slat, or inserting the same from an end of the body of the enclosure.

Other and further objects of the invention will be understood from an explanation thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an end view of the enclosure of the invention, showing certain operating parts of the blind mounted therein, together with the tape and slats supported therefrom.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the complete enclosure with the cover member in place therein.

Figure 3 is an elevational view showing the head enclosure supported in a window frame, the same being a somewhat fragmentary view disclosing a mounting bracket customarily used in such an assembly.

Referring to the drawing, it should be stated that certain of the mechanism disclosed in Figure 1, together with Figure 3, is more completely described in the copending Wright and Zay application, Ser. No. 187,622 filed September 29, 1950, and only generally referred to herein. More specifically certain of the details described herein are disclosed in the co-pending application of Robert W. Meyer, Ser. No. 225,501 filed May 10. 1951.

In those applications above referred to, the tilting mechanism and cord lock mechanism, together with the combination tilt and head bar used in Venetian blinds and also the main supporting brackets for the head bar are described and referred to in detail. They are only shown in this particular application, in order to illustrate certain features which this application,

makes possible, and furthermore to additionally disclose the manner of assembly of the disclosures in this invention in a Venetian blind.

Referring at this point particularly to Figure 1, there is illustrated a head enclosure generally designated 1 of substantially U-shaped configuration in cross section. The bottom member or main part of the enclosure designated 2 is preferably of concave construction substantially as illustrated and the side members 3 and 4 are of convex construction as respects their relationship to the previously mentioned member 2. This entire U-shaped enclosure member I is preferably formed of relatively thin metal or the like and integrally made, whereby the respective upright members 3 and 4 are relatively resilient ably fastened at its ends to the tape-supporting member i, said tape in turn depending therefrom. As is usually the case in Venetian blinds the tape 6 includes the necessary ladders 8 there'- on in which are supported the slats 9. These slats are generally formed of thin metal or the like and of sufiicient width to extend from side to side of the ladder and are adapted in accordance with usual construction to be moved into horizontal and vertical position or positions intermediate the same for regulating light entrance into the room from the window in which .the blinds as a whole may be installed.

The above mentioned slats 9 are rolled or otherwise formed so .as to' present a concave constructionincross section and are'therefore relatively stiff tboth' longitudinally and transversely, although being flexible and resilient at the same time.

7 .At the upper ends of the side members 3 and ii are the downwardly depending cover supporting members It and H respectively. These cover supporting members i i are formed so as to provide longitudinally extending grooves, the same being integral with the .side members 3 and e and formed of the metal from which the sides 3- and 4 and the bottom member v9 are initially rolled.

Thegrooves 52 and [Sin the cover supporting membersm and H respectively, extend throughout the length of the upright members 3 and .and are adapted'to support therein a cover designatedl i. The cover it is preferably a thin piece of metal, and in this instance 'is shown being the same width and the same cross sectional curvature as the slat 9. In fact, the cover member i4 is intended to be formed of the same material from which the slats S are made. It will therefore be apparent that the width between the grooves l2 and I3 is therefore intended to be substantially the width of the cover member M, in this case a slat, and therefore a notable saving in cost is effected by availing of such'cover memher as Hi shown here.

'With the foregoing description of the various parts in mind, it will be apparent that the cover member i l may be inserted in position between the respective side members 3 and i, and 'supported in the grooves I2 and l3, by slightly com.- pressing the cover member It from edge to edge and then slipping the said member into place. lt will be furthermore understood that in the alternative the cover member it may be en-' tered into the grooves l2 and 13 by insertion from one end or the other of, the enclosure l, properly aligning the respective edges of the member is with the grooves l2 and i3 and thereafter moving the cover member into position so a as tocompletely closethe top or normally open portion of the enclosure I.

Figure 2 illustrates the cover member Hi in position, omitting certain of the operating parts normally used, and the enclosure i in which the cover member H! has been inserted.

In Figure 3 the entire assembly is shown as having been mounted ina window frame, with the .usual .main supporting brackets 15,- only one being showr in this instance, whereby the ends .in the enclosure by reason of its concave construction. The concave construction at the same time does not extend above thehighest points of the respective side members 3 and i, and therefore does not interfere with the insertion of the enclosure and its associated mechanism in a window frame or the like.

It should also be understood that it is contemplated that the said closure member Id may be used with other "types of enclosure members I,

.in certain instances, the latter being of wood or the like, but most'practically this type of construction is more suitable for enclosures constructed of metal, similar to that disclosed here- Furthermore the provision of the cover member it adds stiffnessand rigidity to the enclosure member when thesaid cover member 54 is associated therewith in the grooves provided therefor.

In view of the foregoing, it will be apparent that there is herein disclosed a novel form of head enclosure unit, for use in Venetian blinds, which not only adds structural rigidity to the head unit as a whole, but furthermore prevents entrance of dust and foreign matter into the mechanism for operating the Venetian blind.

It should be additionally understood that by reason of the relatively resilient connection of the sides with the bottom member, in view of the preferably integral formation thereof, enables a separation of the upper edges of the sides and thus insertion of the cover member 14 .in a

, somewhat different manner from that heretofore mentioned.

By initially entering one edge of the cover member in one .of the grooves in one cover supporting member, and subsequent pressure at the other edge of the member 54, the said member maybe snapped into place at its opposite edge in the groove provided therefor. A slight separation of the free edges of the sides is seen 'to have taken place to eifect this action.

As has been previously stated the cover member'for the head enclosure of this invention may most conveniently be provided by using a slat .or

'a member corresponding thereto made of the same material as the slats used in the blind it- 7 self. It willybe apparent that in those cases wherein slots are provided in the slats, the cover member will be provided without those slots, in

order to maintain the interior of the enclosure in dust-free condition. In blinds which do not require the lift cords to be passed through slots in the slats or similar openings, an additional slat corresponding in dimensionsto the slats therein may be'used.

7 Having thus disclosed and described my invention, what I claimas new and-desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A Venetian blind comprising a head enclosure 7 consisting of an approximately ill-shaped body, said body having an upwardly concaved bottom formed with integral upright front and rear side members, at least one of said side members being of convex form with its convex surface outward, a .tiltbar in said enclosure having slat supporting tapes thereon, at least one slat carried by :saidhtapes and said slat being of "concavo-convex form ,in erosssection with its con- 6 vexity generally of the same degree as that of References Cited in the file of this patent the one convex side previously mentioned so that when the blind is closed in one direction the UNITED STATES PATENTS slat at its convex face will be similar in eppea-rance to and conform with the convexity of 5 1 522 5 g i Jan gi said convex side of the enclosure, and a closure 2O9O239 Strang 1937 for the top of the head enclosure, said closure 2414548 Nisensoz; 1947 comprising a slat like that supported by the tape, 2:551:787

said closure slat being interlocked at its longitudinal edges with the upper longitudinal edges 10 of the front and rear side member of the head.

RICHARD H. WRIGHT.

Burns May 8, 1951 

